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Orangeville residents wary of possible tax increase

December 12, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Some Orangeville residents pleaded for empathy from a council face-and-eyes into determining next year’s municipal operating and capital budgets.

And council gave assurances that a mindfulness of many residents’ economic situations is part of inking next year’s spending plan.

Cheryl Braan, the town’s treasurer, presented the proposed 2025 capital budget to council during a meeting on Dec. 9. She followed with details of the proposed operating budget on Dec. 10.

A Zina Street resident asked council if some projects could be shelved for another year, another budget. The money that would have been earmarked for those projects in 2025 could go toward the OPP contract and thereby decrease a possible property tax increase.

Nick Garisto said he pays more than $7,000 in taxes and he anticipates a six per cent increase in the 2025 budget.

“That’s not counting the OPP (contract), either,” he said.

“No, that’s including the OPP right now,” Mayor Lisa Post said.

Garisto’s plea to council: “Make it your darndest to lower those taxes. Even to zero, if it’s possible.”

Orangeville resident Matthew Smith said a $2.5 million project at Rotary Park seems excessive, especially when the municipality is in “a budget crunch and this budget was said to have no bells or whistles and is supposed to be nothing fancy.”

The Rotary Club is contributing $50,000 toward the work.

Fellow resident James Jackson said changes need to be made in how business is done.

“Doing the same thing over and over, it’s not working,” Jackson said. “All it’s doing is causing so much grief for financial reasons.”

A one per cent tax levy increase means an extra $33.81 on a resident’s average property tax bill annually. Jackson said he’s heard other people brush off a possible tax increase, saying it’s only about $40.

“But that’s one meal for somebody or for a family,” he said. “I’m trying to feed two kids on my pension, which is a pittance as it is.”

He said one of the repercussions of raised taxes is some rental property owners increase rent for people who are already struggling.

Jackson said he’s asking council to be empathetic toward senior citizens and people in financial situations similar to his.

“We’re struggling,” he said.

“I can assure you that all of us are very empathetic to the situation, the economic situation for many out in our community,” Post said. “We are all working diligently to find savings in the budget, but as costs are increasing for you, they are also increasing for the town.

“And we have assets that we need to maintain, so we are going to do our very best to get our taxes as low possible.”

“Empathy is certainly something that I know the seven of us would have,” Deputy Mayor Todd Taylor said. “But it’s an incredibly frustrating time. For people to come up and offer their thoughts, I’m grateful that you’ve done that. My thinking is it would be great if you came up and also said, hey here’s some solutions that we can come up with.”

Taylor said capital projects need to be done. Many of them can’t be left behind. And the costs for such projects have increased more than 40 per cent in recent years.

“These costs are real and it’s frustrating to us to sit here and see them too,” Taylor said.

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